Abstract The constructional network of the Chinese Monotransitive Construction can be divided into two types : the Agent Subject Construction and the Non-Agent Subject Construction (NASC,for short) .The latter can be instantiated by the following 4-character string″apple crush-ed juice,″meaning″The apple was crushed into juice .″Its form and meaning pairing is [non-agent semantic role/subject] + [verb + object],whose constructional meaning is that the entity or event related to a non-agent semantic role is elaborated by the verb + object chunk .Up to now,the domestic linguistic circle hardly adopts an ontological and holistic approach to this type of construction . On the basis of Cognitive Construction Grammar,we probe into the ways in which NASCs coerce and integrate verb's basic constructions participating in them .In light of Langacker's reference point relationship,we have reconstructed the NASC encoding process .Drawing on the abductive reasoning and checking to find the original semantic roles related to participating verbs,we have reconstructed NASC decoding process .In both processes,verb's basic constructions play a crucial role .We have conducted a survey on stativization cline in different NASCs by observing changes in the action chain and vector,and also a diachronic investigation and a cross-linguistic comparison,which show the enabling conditions for NASC and its typological value . Our study has obtained the following findings :(1) Compared with the unmarked Agent-Subject Monotransitive Construction,NASC is marked,which is derived from the former .(2) In NASC,a non-agent semantic role takes the subject position and is spotlighted,whereas the agent is hidden or placed elsewhere .This flexibility can be accounted for by the encoder's alternative attachments of his empathy .(3) With the vector reduced,the force in the action chain decreases .(4) At the discourse level the subject of NASC often functions as a topic .(5) A diachronic investigation and a cross-linguistic survey show that syntactic simplicity and loose semantic relations give rise to convenient transfer of semantic roles in Chinese . This interaction between semantics and syntax is perhaps unique but reasonable in terms of the Chinese logic .As mankind is the master of the world and human language reflects his egocentric life,almost all actions on earth,in our human view,are performed by us .Therefore,there lies an important conceptual metonymy : ACTION FOR THE ACTION TOGETHER WITH ITS AGENT,which is generally accepted and widespread in the language .With the agent hidden and the verb's dynamicity attenuated,semantic roles commonly occurring in the object position can appear in the subject position,and further evolutions occur when non-core semantic roles can also be in the subject position .This movement eventually leads to the diversity of semantic roles in both subject and object positions .The current mechanism of Chinese is brought about for pragmatic efficiency by the simplification of semantic representation and removal of syntactic constraints . Our research methodology gives this research the following benefits :(1) The combination of semantics and syntax offers a unified framework,under which more constructions are under review than those in other researches . (2) The integration of the inductive and deductive approaches helps to deepen the research into the inheritance relations between the verb's basic construction and the super-construction .(3) The distinction on which we insist between the level of subject and object and the level of agent and patient settles the confusion on the two levels that lingered over previous studies . Non-Agent Subject Monotransitive Constructions are of many complex types in Chinese . This study provides a brand-new ontological perspective for the commonly-called″topic-prominent sentence .″
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